A/N: Hello again, everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. Some scenes involving Isaac are inspired by FOX's 9-1-1, so expect to get your teeth rotted to the core. Sorry if this chapter fell a bit short.
MAKE SURE YOU WATCH CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION!
Also, I'd like to dedicate this chap to Jason David Frank, who passionately portrayed Dr. Thomas 'Tommy' Oliver from one of my favorite childhood shows that I sill enjoy and watch, Power Rangers.
May his legacy live on forever, and may the power protect you on the other side with Thuy Trang…
Élise had been strolling through every inch of her walk-in closet and was still having a hard time figuring out what she wanted to wear to her Attorney General testimony. It was coming up soon, and she needed to look her absolute best.
"Lise!" she heard Spencer calling out for her in the bedroom.
Élise cried back, "I'm in here!"
Spencer walked in and played around with the walkie-talkie—he gave one to Séraphine to comminate with him while she rested her leg—and saw a bunch of clothes that were laid out on the island counter. "Are you purging your closet again?"
Élise plucked a hung white blouse and navy pants and placed them in front of her body. "How's this?" she asked it.
Spencer nodded. "It looks nice."
Élise made a face and cocked her head to the side when she saw her reflection in the three-way mirror and tossed them on the counter with the rest of the clothes. "Nah…"
"Élise, you'll look nice no matter what you wear…"
"But it's essentially important that I look more than just my absolute best. I need to look absolutely, positively perfect." Élise made an okay hand sign when she said perfect before pulling out more clothes and holding them up.
Spencer had his hands spread on the countertops. "You know, when I first started at the BAU, I wasn't too worried about my appearance, though I often got mistaken for a preteen."
"That's because you're a child prodigy wiz," Élise remarked wittingly. "And you're a Caucasian man. In this kind of high-ranking and power-obsessed world, appearances are everything, especially if you're a person of color. Take the President and the First Lady, for example; it only takes a second to make a good, lasting impression. And most of the time, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Our physical appearance tells the world about us."
"Then how did I marry you and have children with you?"
Élise opened her mouth and pointed her finger, about to say something when her eyebrows curved. "Are you using reverse psychology on me?"
Spencer smirked. "But yeah, I agree that appearances matter, but character and personality are much more important. And you, my Fair Élise, have so more character and personality than anyone else in this entire world." He took her hand and kissed it, making her giggle. "You have poise, class, grace…"
"Daddy!" Séraphine's voice came through on the walkie. "Come in, daddy!"
Spencer shook his head with amusement. "Yes, Fifi…?" he spoke into the walkie.
"May I please have a BLT sandwich with chips?" Séraphine asked sweetly.
"You got it…"
"Thank you…"
Élise had to snicker. "On the flip side, at least she's not ringing that bell so much since we got her that walkie."
"If I recall, you rang that bell so much, I think I started to develop bell senses," Spencer recalled the time when Élise had a bell in her hands.
"Uh, I was pregnant with our children, thank you…" Élise justified her actions while pregnant, but Spencer still had his humorful doubts. "And you're welcome for giving you children…"
"Mmm…"
Séraphine had her hand on her cheek when flipping through the child-approved channels on the television when one show on the Kids' TV channel caught her attention, and she started mimicking what the characters on the show were doing.
"Hi-ya!" she threw air punches around. "Ki-ya! Si…ow!" she groaned in pain from her casted broken leg.
Spencer and Élise strolled in with Séraphine's lunch, only for them to see Séraphine holding onto her leg.
"How's that leg of yours, Fifi?" Élise sat on the armchair edge.
Séraphine nodded. "It still hurts…"
Spencer asked. "Are you letting it rest?"
"Mmm-hmm…"
Élise reminded Séraphine of her manners when Spencer gave Séraphine her lunch. "And what do we say when someone gives us something we asked…?"
"Thanks, daddy…" Séraphine fluttered her eyes.
Spencer gave her a kiss on the head and looked around the living room, and wondered about something. "Hey, where's your little brother?"
Before anyone could guess or say anything, they heard rapid giggling and speedy footsteps getting closer and closer.
"Isaac—Isaac!"
It was Isaac running while carrying a handful of toilet paper, and Rose was chasing after him with a bowl of food in her hands.
"Come on, Ziggy…" Rose sounded exhausted and almost pleaded with him to eat. "You have to…" she stopped in her tracks when she saw Spencer and Élise; Séraphine paid no attention since she was watching television.
"Hold it right there, Hot Wheels…" Élise scooped a still giggling Isaac.
Rose sighed. "Oh, thank you…I think I spun my head so much. He was there, and now he's there…" she had to take a seat and catch her breath; Spencer sped away to the kitchen. "I'm so tired."
"See, I told you this boy was a ninja in a past life." Élise reminded everyone of the times she's told everyone about Isaac being quick and fast like a ninja before seeing Séraphine again.
"Hi-ya!" Séraphine yelled and made a karate move minus the leg kick. "Si-ya! Ki-ya!"
Spencer came back from the kitchen with a water bottle for Rose. "More like two ninjas from the looks of it…" he joked.
"Isaac!"
"Ziggy!"
Spencer and Élise chased Isaac all over the first floor before finally catching him and tended to Séraphine when she rang the handbell.
"Mama...! Daddy...!"
Spencer converted Isaac's crib into a toddler-sized bed for him a few days ago, considering he's started potty training and noticing how he's been itching to climb out of his crib more often.
"Okay…" Spencer got Isaac in a flannel plaid pajama set, read him a story, and began tucking him. "You like your new bed, little man?"
Isaac cheered. "Yeah…"
"You miss your old bed?"
Isaac shook his head, almost like a cute little bobblehead when being shaken. "Nah…"
"That's good…" Spencer laughed for a moment and brushed his fingers through his son's curly hair; he locked his index finger onto one and released it. "That's good…" he got Isaac to close his eyes, turned off his table light for his nightlight, and kissed his temple.
"Good night, little man…" Spencer set upright again.
Isaac waved as Spencer stood by the door. "Luv ya, dad…"
"Love you, too…" he closed the door and went straight to his bedroom.
Élise scratched her sides while walking up the stairs and had a few sips of warm malted almond milk. The countdown to her Senate testimony was really making her nervous, almost to the point where she could barely sleep. She hoped drinking some would help her go back to sleep.
"Mama…"
"Whoa!" Élise almost made her jump and spilled her milk in front of her pajamas.
And it was just a giggling Isaac.
Spencer had just walked out of Séraphine's bedroom, making sure she was alright, considering her leg injury, and flinched after closing her bedroom door.
"Woo…!"
An energetic Isaac started jumping up and down. "Daddy-daddy-daddy…"
Spencer and Élise had a quick drink/alone time together on the balcony, discussing potential weekend plans, before coming inside and getting ready together.
"Huh…"
"Mama, papa, I no sleep…" Isaac shrugged his shoulders.
Spencer crouched down and opened his arms out, allowing Isaac to walk towards him and give him a hug.
Élise shook her head and had her hands on her hips. "You just won't go to sleep, will you?"
Isaac shook his head and rested it on Spencer's chest.
Spencer eidetically remembered that Hotch wanted to talk to him before helping to consult on a case. When he got to the bullpen, mostly everyone was either working or watching the news on the big screen. Spencer walked up the small steps to get to Hotch's office and knocked on his door.
"Come on…" said Hotch.
Spencer stepped in, and there was Hotch doing paperwork.
"You wanted to see me?" Spencer had a seat.
"Yeah, we finished reviewing Élise's potential personal protective detail if she's confirmed to be the attorney general." Hotch set aside one file for another and already worked on it.
Spencer bobbed his head. "Good, that's good." something instantly came to his mind. "Should I be worried?"
Hotch questioned, "About what?"
"If Élise becomes the Attorney General of this country." Spencer answered. "I mean, she's going to have possibly one of the biggest career changes ever. Responsibilities and challenges she'll have to face and…" he shrugged his shoulders. "I just can't help but worry for her, you know…"
Hotch gave Spencer some words of support and encouragement. "No matter what, Élise has a good sense of justice and level on her shoulders. She'll be in good hands, and so will this country if confirmed for AG."
"As I said, I can't help but worry…"
Someone knocked on the door; Hotch allowed the person in, and they peeked their head in the door.
"Excuse me…Dr. Reid." It was Anderson. "A package came for you." he excused himself and closed the door.
Spencer rose up steadily from his seat; Hotch asked, "How's Séraphine's leg?"
"She's resting it," Spencer answered again. "Thankfully, she learned about running on ice and won't plan on doing that again. But Isaac…" he shook his head again. "He keeps wanting to sleep with us since we converted his crib into a toddler bed."
Hotch advised, "Maybe just let him sleep with you two for a couple more nights and see where it goes..."
Spencer decided to give Hotch's parenting advice some thought before leaving. Walking down the steps, he made it to his desk and used a scissor blade to cut open his package. He took out what was inside, and it was an embroidered pink pillow for her leg.
"Oooh…" Spencer turned and saw it was Morgan passing by. "I take it that pillow for your pretty little girl?" he smirked.
"Yup," said Spencer. "While spending some quality time with my two children, my pretty little girl slipped and fell on some ice, breaking her leg and getting some scratches on her temple. And you wanna know something else?"
"What?"
Spencer smirked back. "It was your Savannah who was her doctor."
Morgan smiled sheepishly and cockily. "Told you she was everything I'd said she be."
"Do you still think she's the future Mrs. Derek Morgan?" Spencer joked.
"Only time will tell, my pretty boy," said Morgan. "Only time will tell…"
Élise finished rearranging one of the scrapbooks and decided to have a quick look through before bedtime. She started at the part where she graduated from high school, then community college, Rutgers, and finally Harvard Law School, making herself smile.
Then she got to the part where she and Spencer got married, their first kiss and dance as a married couple. The birth of their children…but soon, Élise felt this shocking hit coming at her at one. She caressed the only image on the page.
The page of their unborn child, Skylar August.
"WAIT!"
Flashes of that near-fatal day; the day she was abducted by Diane Turner, Spencer and the team witnessing her getting shot lost their unborn children.
"No...no..."
"I'm so sorry…" Élise wiped a tear from her face. "I'm so sorry…" she heard footsteps walking towards her, embracing her by the arms, and laying their head on top of hers.
"Hey…" it was Spencer, who planted a kiss on the top of her head. Soon he felt his eyes getting foggy. "Can't believe it's been almost a year…"
Élise couldn't help but ask, "Do you think if it wasn't for my stubbornness and not asking anyone for help that maybe…" she wiped her tear away again. "…We would have…?"
Spencer sighed. "How many times have I told you about driving yourself crazy with the what-ifs?"
Élise scratched her forehead. "I just can't help but still feel guilty about what happened…no matter how many times I keep saying it…I just, I don't know…"
Spencer kissed her head again. "I know, honey. I know…you are not alone."
Spencer and Élise had a scheduled appointment with Dr. Truman; recently, the doctor looked like she had lost a little bit of weight, changed her frames, and her now chin-length hair was dyed a darker auburn color shade.
"So…how is everyone today?" she asked.
Spencer and Élise held onto each other's hand. "We're good, thank you…"
"So, Élise…congrats on the AG nomination…" Dr. Truman smiled. "You must be so proud of yourself…"
Élise smirked to herself. "I am, but scared endlessly…"
"I think you'll do a great job," said Dr. Truman.
Spencer laughed. "That's what I said. What everyone's been telling her…"
Taking Hotch's advice to heart, Spencer and Élise decided to allow Isaac to sleep in their room for one more night or two but also allowed Séraphine to stay with them.
A/N: I hope everyone has a great and loving Thanksgiving.
And if anything, it's okay to talk about your feelings; there's no shame in that.
You are not alone.